Top 10 most expensive teenage transfers in football history
In July 2022, Mathys Tel became one of the most expensive young player ever when he signed for Bayern Munich from Rennes.
Elite teams around the world, primarily in Europe, are constantly searching for new talents. A successful football team must keep assembling its group with the long term in mind.
They occasionally pay a lot of money to get excellent young prodigies to accomplish their dreams. A talented young player is frequently sought after by several elite clubs, who compete to sign the player before their rivals.
In these circumstances, clubs frequently fork over enormous sums of money to outbid rivals for the players' signatures. The most recent young player to cost FC Bayern Munich €20 million plus add-ons is Mathys Tel.
The Bundesliga team has already paid a hefty sum for the 17-year-old forward.
Numerous gifted youngsters have compelled the clubs to spend a lot on them. In light of that, here's a list of the top 10 youngsters signed by clubs for a premium!
Please note: Transfer figures are from Transfermarkt.
#10 Javier Saviola - €35.90 million
The oldest transfer on this list is Javier Saviola. At age 19, the Argentine attacker was signed for €35.90 million by FC Barcelona. He possessed the talent to back up the rumors that he would be South America's next great footballing superstar while he was at River Plate.
He is one of the rare athletes to have represented both Real Madrid and Barcelona.
# 9. Wayne Rooney - €37 million
When he scored that iconic goal against Arsenal as a 16-year-old, Wayne Rooney burst onto the world stage. Manchester United moved quickly to sign the young player, paying Everton €37 million for his talents.
Rooney went on to establish himself as the club's all-time leading scorer and win numerous championships for the Red Devils. This deal can be regarded as one of the most successful teenage transfers in history.
8. Luke Shaw - €37.5 million
Luke Shaw was outstanding for Southampton and at the age of 18, he was selected for England's World Cup team. When Manchester United called at that point, it cost €37.5 million to sign him.
Shaw has participated in more than 200 games for the team since his transfer, participating in three trophy-winning campaigns.
7. Fabio Silva - €40 million
Few people anticipated the transfer of Fabio Silva. Wolves paid a staggering €40 million to bring the Portuguese striker from FC Porto to the Premier League.
He scored four goals for his former team while still only 17 years old. Wolves may be betting on his potential and taking a chance by spending a sizable sum. Silva spent the 2022-23 season on loan at Anderlecht and PSV for half-a-season each.
6. Vinicius Jr. - €45 million
When he was just 18 years old, Vinicius Jr. arrived in Spain and joined Real Madrid. The Los Blancos paid a big sum to Flamengo to acquire the Brazilian who was dubbed the next Neymar Jr.
Despite having a rocky beginning at Real Madrid, Vinicius is now one of the key players in the team. Vinicius was also instrumental in the club's 2021–22 UEFA Champions League victory.
5. Rodrygo - €45 million
Another expensive Brazilian youngster that Real Madrid decided to sign with the long term in mind was Rodrygo. The winger is an outstanding talent and might emulate Vinicius. He came from the Brazilian team Santos and cost €45 million as well, same as Vinicius.
He has already won a Champions League trophy and two league championships with Madrid.
4. Anthony Martial - €60 million
Majority of fans were shocked when Anthony Martial transferred from AS Monaco to Manchester United in 2015.
Martial joined on deadline day when he was just 19 years old, giving the fans a tremendous surprise because he wasn't heavily linked to them throughout the window. For fans, the €60 million price was an even bigger shock.
To his credit, Martial instantly captured the hearts of the supporters with a magnificent goal against bitter rivals Liverpool on his debut. However, fast forward to 2023 and we can say for sure he hasn't been a successful signing for Manchester United.
3. Matthijs de Ligt - €85.5 million
Few athletes show leadership skills when they are teenagers, but Matthijs de Ligt was in a completely different league.
The defender led Ajax on their remarkable journey to the UEFA Champions League semifinal in 2019, defeating teams like Real Madrid and Juventus along the way.
Numerous teams vied for his services, but Juventus ultimately prevailed after spending €85.5 million on the 19-year-old in 2019. Bayern Munich signed him for €67 million in the summer of 2022.
2. Joao Felix - €127.20 million
Joao Felix is one of only two players who cost more than €100 million when they were teenagers. Atletico Madrid paid SL Benfica €127.20 million to acquire the second-most expensive young footballer of all time in 2019.
He was to serve as Antoine Griezmann's direct replacement as the Frenchman had moved to FC Barcelona that year. Felix played 131 games in all competitions for the La Liga side, contributing 34 goals and providing 18 assists. Eventually, Felix didn't work out at Atletico and joined Chelsea last summer on loan.
He returned back to Atletico in the summer of 2023 and had a fallout with manager Diego Simeone before being loaned out to Barcelona.
1. Kylian Mbappe - €180 million
Kylian Mbappe burst on to the scene during his time at AS Monaco and was quickly signed by Paris Saint-Germain. The French juggernauts spent €180 million in 2018 to finalize a credit agreement.
As a result, Mbappe, at 18 years old, became not just the most expensive teenager ever, but also the second most expensive move ever. Since joining PSG, he has played over 250 games and has scored over 210 goals.